1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless location devices, and more particularly concerns devices made using parts of cellular telephones and methods of manufacturing location devices using parts of cellular telephones.
2. Background of the Invention
There are two main types of location technology. First, there is device based location technology. Device based location technology utilizes a GPS location circuit which can acquire its location independent of the cellular network. Once it has its location, it communicates its location via the cellular network. The cellular network is only used for communicating the location information. This is the most commonly used location technology. Most devices of this type locate themselves on a predetermined schedule. That is, every 1-2 minutes, the device locates itself and communicates the location to the server. This technology is very open, as you can easily acquire the necessary data plans for the device to communicate to the server. In this scenario, the cellular carrier bills for the amount of the data that the device communicates.
The second type of location technology is network based location technology. In this situation, the cellular network pings the location device in order to determine its location. Through a combination of cellular towers and satellites, the network determines the location of the device. In order to initiate a location request, the cellular network must be pinged by the computer server, the device typically can not remember to locate itself. This technology is very new, and is currently only available through CDMA service providers (Sprint and Verizon). This technology is currently very restricted, as you must have cellular carrier approval to locate the device. In this scenario, the cellular carrier bills for each time the device is located.
In terms of performance, the main advantage of network based location technology is that it can be located indoors as it does not depend solely on GPS satellite signal. It is also superior in that the location devices can be smaller, and utilize less battery power. However, device based tracking is more cost effective for a high number of locates, and is often used in cases of active tracking. Also, some forms of network location do not return speed information, while device based location technology always relays speed.
Today, the types of location devices which offer the technology discussed above are very costly. A wireless location device typically costs in excess of $300. In business to business and government applications, the market is capable of accepting such prices. However, in the consumer market, this pricing is not feasible. It is not cost effective for consumers to utilize location services because of the high cost of location devices.
Location devices are expensive for several reasons. First, the devices must be developed as a corporative effort with the company that has designed the communications network. Often, this typically involves the creation of chipsets that are unique to the device. Secondarily, location devices are costly because once constructed, they require extensive network testing to ensure that they do not disrupt network traffic. The testing requires a large time and capital commitment on the part of the operator of the communications network. The final reason why these devices are costly is that they are constructed of mostly new materials each time. That is, devices are rarely recycled.
However, wireless location devices are very similar to cellular telephones. The communication technology of a cellular telephone is nearly identical to that of a location device. Secondarily, due to a federal emergency 911 mandate, cellular telephones are now equipped with limited location technology. Also, Americans throw away or store a large number of previously used cellular telephones each year. Many of these pre-used phones are no longer capable of operating as a cellular telephone due to feature damages. However, the communication components of the phones are still fully functional.